A Lakeland woman has been charged with the felony of leaving the scene of a crash involving death after a fatal hit-and-run that claimed the life of a 27-year-old pedestrian. Aliya Cruz, 24, was arrested following an investigation by the Polk County Sheriff's Office into the incident that occurred last Monday just before 4 a.m., where deputies found the victim, identified as Danielle Stilwell, lying deceased in the middle of West Highland Street surrounded by vehicle debris, according to a report from WTSP.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office was able to quickly to piece together the case by using part numbers from the broken vehicle parts—specific to a 2019-2022 Kia Forte—and surveillance footage from a local gas station that captured a black sedan fleeing the scene. According to Tampa Free Press, detectives located a vehicle matching the description and missing consistent parts at Cruz's residence on West Highland Street.
Cruz admitted to detectives that she was on her way to work at the Publix warehouse when the crash occurred, claiming her vision was impaired by an oncoming truck's high beams. She stated that she saw Stilwell lying in the road and swerved to avoid her, not sure if she had hit the woman. These details were shared by Cruz during her interview with detectives. However, after arriving at work, Cruz reportedly told her supervisor she had "possibly killed someone" and showed photos of the damage to her vehicle, as disclosed by WFLA.
Sheriff Grady Judd praised the Traffic Homicide detectives, saying, "They meticulously work around the clock when conducting fatal crash investigations, especially those that involve suspects who flee the scene," in a statement to the Tampa Free Press. Cruz was taken into custody four days after the incident, on August 22, and now faces serious charges for her actions—or lack thereof—in the immediate aftermath of the crash.
